Monday, February 29, 2016

Autumn Leaf / Spring Flower Felt Catnip Toys

Happy Leap Day! Today's DIY is a double dose of felt fun as part of Tiger's year of cat toy's collection. It is the last (extra!) day of summer here, with autumn officially beginning tomorrow so we have an autumn leaf for the change in seasons as well as a tulip for those of you heading into spring later this month. Both are simple to make with basic hand-sewing skills and a
little time/patience - an easy one-sitting craft and suitable for
younger crafters with needle skills. You might even have all of the
supplies ready and waiting in your craft
stash.

To make your own felt leaf cat toy:

Cut two large leaves (i.e. the full size for your finished your toy), one medium leaf, and one stem. If you would like to double-side layered heart design on the toy, you will need two of each size. If you aren't comfortable free-handing, draw it first on paper to amke your own template.

Using a complimentary thread colour, stitch on the stem onto the medium leaf. The toy shown uses a blanket stitch throughout, and the stitches form part of the design. Simple, sturdy, and cute!

Using a complimentary thread colour, stitch the medium leaf onto one of the large leaves, lining up the bottom of the shapes.

Sew the two large leaves
together, embellished side out, until you are approximately 3/4 attached. Add stuffing and
(optional) catnip. If you cat prefers jingly toys, you can sew a
jinglebell to the inside before joining. If they prefer
crinkly toys, I have heard people sometimes add a few candy wrappers to
the stuffing, but have never tried myself. Whatever you use, make sure
it is safely secured inside!

Cut two large tulip shapes (i.e. the full size for your finished your toy), one medium tulip shape, four medium leaves, and two small leaves. If you aren't comfortable free-handing, create and trace from a paper template.

Using a complimentary thread colour, stitch the medium tulip onto the middle of one of the large shapes. The toy shown uses a blanket stitch throughout, and the stitches form part of the design. Simple, sturdy, and cute!

Sew the two large tulips together, embellished side out, until you are approximately 3/4 attached. Add stuffing and
(optional) catnip. If you cat prefers jingly toys, you can sew a
jinglebell to the inside before joining. If they prefer
crinkly toys, I have heard people sometimes add a few candy wrappers to
the stuffing, but have never tried myself. Whatever you use, make sure
it is safely secured inside!

Finish stitching the toy closed, trim any threads if/as needed.

Using a complimentary thread colour, stitch each small leaf until a medium leaf, lining up the bottoms.

Pin the leaves to the bottom of the tulip, embellished sides to the front and plain to the back.

Sew onto the tulip. DO NOT stitch all the way through the toy when stitching areas where the leaves overlap the flower, so that you can have a tidy blanket-stitched appearance on both faces, as shown in the images above. This is a little trickier than sewing the leaves to the tulips before combining shapes to sew closed, but creates the appearance that the tulip flower is nested in the leaves. Very cute when finished, but you can adapt to whatever works better for you!

We have a whole YEAR of simple felt cat toys for sharing with you (and Tig) over the coming months. Meow!Remember,
toys are for playing and playtime is safer (and more fun!) with you
involved - see more cat toy tips and safety advice here. As an extra caution, if your cat is in the company of other animals or small children, ensure their safety as well. Our
dogs LOVE to try and steal the cat's toys, so Tiger's playtime is
always interactive with one of us humans, and the toys are stored safely
away afterwards. Cat toys could pose a serious choking / blockage
hazard.

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